“Miss Belle is my name,” she said as matter-of-factly as if she were reciting the ingredients from a recipe card. “You’re taking away my niece again.”
“Only to lunch and a movie.”
Hattie’s voice climbed. “A movie?”
“Would you care to join us?” he asked.
Olivia replied on her aunt’s behalf. “She wanted to stay here.”
Hattie glanced back and forth between them. “I believe I’ve changed my mind.”
“Auntie—”
“You should have a chaperone.”
“I’m decades past the need to be chaperoned.”
Hattie frowned at Simon like he had a horn sprouting from his hair. “I don’t believe this man is who he says he is.”
“That’s enough, Hattie.” Somehow, her aunt had convinced herself that Simon was a crook instead of a gentleman, but if Simon were planning something malicious, he would have done so already.
“I’m happy to answer any of your questions, Miss Belle.”
“What are your intentions toward my niece?”
“You don’t have to answer that,” Olivia blurted even though she was equally as curious since he’d yet to voice any plans.
When he spoke, his gaze returned to Olivia instead of Hattie. “I’m very much in love with her.”
Olivia’s heart soared even as she caught her breath, willing this moment to freeze in time. She was falling inside herself, feeling again what she thought she’d lost forever.
Perhaps a marriage between them wasn’t just a passing fancy.
Hattie wasn’t as enamored by Simon’s declaration. “You are thirteen years her junior.”
His eyes remained on Olivia as if he expected some sort of retort to her aunt’s words, but she was too stunned to react.
“Twelve years, I believe,” he said slowly. “But true love knows no age.”
“I pray, Dr. Farrow, that you would know the Lord.”
“I am quite content in my knowledge of God.”
Hattie tapped the housedress buckle that clasped her midsection. “But this knowledge must sink into the depths of your heart.”
“Please, Hattie.” Olivia begged her to stop before she ruined the entire day. None of them could peer into anyone’s heart.
“I fear for you, Olivia.”
“You shouldn’t. Simon has been nothing but kind.”
Hattie lingered near the bumper as if deciding whether she would join them. Then she backed away. “I will not be part of this.”
Olivia’s stomach tied in knots of regret and relief when Hattie retreated back to the porch. Why couldn’t her aunt simply be happy for her? Simon may not speak about spiritual matters like a minister, but he was reverent in his care and belief in God.
Why must things be so complicated?
Olivia climbed into the front seat and closed her door as Simon rounded the vehicle and slipped inside.
